Itachi took in Naruto's form in the medical tent.

When she walked out there was only a single scar from the building on her face, faint pink healing lines the only evidence of her brother's poisoned mind being taken out on her.

"Is he all right?"

Naruto looked at him. "Deidara? He should be fine."

Itachi nodded. "Good. The Jedi are leaving, if you're joining them."

He waited. She hesitated.

"Yeah, I should go make sure they don't stick Deidara with the rest of the criminals." She stood there for another few seconds. "Well, bye."

Itachi caught her wrist as she walked by quickly, spinning her against his ship and giving her a kiss.

When he ended it, her eyes were wide and shocked.

"What - why did you do that?"

"I felt like it," he replied, touching her new scar. "I'll be coming by my apartment on Coruscant soon. I would like to talk to you. Alone."

"Okay," she replied, staring at him for a few minutes.

"Also, your droid was sold and found."

"What?!" she gasped.

Spark came down the ramp, beeping and hurrying to Naruto. Itachi let her move, and she tucked her hair behind her ear and knelt next to Spark.

"Hey, little guy. What's up?"

Spark projected plans - not of a Separatist ship.

Itachi and Naruto looked at each other, shocked.

"You and I are going to get these plans to Coruscant," Itachi said.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. We are. Spark, we're taking his ship."

Spark beeped happily, and slid up the ramp again.

"Shall we?" Itachi asked her with a smirk on his face.

She rolled her eyes, stepping onto the ship.

"You know, if you went into battle with skin showing, you would definitely catch people off guard."

Naruto blinked. "I do show skin."

Itachi shook his head, then waved her onto his ship.

"K, begin startup sequence and plug in Coruscant's coordinates," he ordered. "And what I mean is like Master Secura, among some of the masters. Like Anora."

"You know Anora?" Naruto asked, eyes wide.

"Heard of her," Itachi corrected. "Her and Master Forinth have definitely made a name for themselves. As have you."

Naruto scoffed and looked away. "No, I haven't. None of the Separatist Generals have heard of me."

"Trust me, you and your brother Anakin have definitely made names for yourselves," Itachi said to her, his onyx eyes meeting hers.

Naruto could feel a blush coming up and averted her eyes. "So is this the same ship as last time?"

"No. This was given to me by the Black Sun." Itachi spat the name out.

"Is that how you knew about -" Naruto paused and took a deep breath. "Jango's death?"

"Yes." Itachi's quiet admission was honest.

Naruto nodded. "I see." The stinging of her eyes made her turn away from him. "How long will we be stuck here?"

"Two standard days," Itachi answered, moving up along the small hallway in the ship. "I do have female partners, so just take whatever you feel comfortable with in this room. Also, while you're on my ship, it will be your room." He tapped a door.

Naruto nodded. "Thanks."

"Don't thank me yet," Itachi replied quietly.

~:~

Naruto eyed the clothes. There was a lot her size, clothes that were made for tailed humanoids.

Ignoring the similarities, Naruto slipped on clothes with a color scheme of blue, red and brown, baring her midriff and barely protecting her arms. Her boots that Jango had made for her were with her, though she knew she'd have to get new boots soon. These ones were getting a little worn.

When she was finished, she exited her room to see Itachi wearing black and blue, his hair in a low ponytail as usual. A vibroblade was clipped to his belt.

"You should let your hair grow out." Itachi didn't look up at her.

"It's growing faster than it did before," Naruto confessed.

"Why did you cut it?" he asked, sitting down at a table.

Naruto looked down at the table as she sat down at it.

"I felt guilty, and my secrets were beginning to overwhelm me," Naruto replied in a whisper. Never mind the fact that she still had Itachi's love confession to think about, and she was trying to focus on her career as a Jedi and teaching Konohamaru as well as raising Boba. "So I cut my hair." Mostly as a symbol. But either way.

"You still have many secrets," Itachi noted.

"Yes," Naruto agreed. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

Itachi sighed.

"I was going to ask you if I could be your mentor in the upcoming Trials." Itachi's eyes met hers for a second. "It's a test of brains, survival, and one-on-one matches."

"If my mother wants me back within two weeks, what are the two weeks for?" Naruto asked.

Itachi winced. "Well... You actually have to pass the first Trial - the Genin trial. Once you pass that, then you go onto your second Trial, the Chuunin Trials."

Naruto blinked at him.

"That sounds really stupid," Naruto said flatly.

"It's why nobody ever goes to Alteria," Itachi responded with a sigh. "Alteria, for all its technological advances, is really just a village full of ancient and ridiculous customs. However, I did finish my Trials at thirteen."

"What do you get? A prize?" Naruto was being sarcastic.

"The right to wear your home village's symbol," Itachi said solemnly. "And if you have animal characteristics, then you get pierced through your extra ears."

Naruto felt her own ears flatten.

Itachi smiled. "Your mother has them, though she uses Force Cloaking to hide them on occasion."

"Okay, is that like a real Force move? I mean, in the Archives, I got visions of moves that I've used, but that was mostly the Force guiding me." Naruto frowned a little.

Itachi's eyes lit up a bit. "Yes, of course it's a real Force move." He stood and vanished.

Naruto could still feel his signature, but that too faded.

"Oh, that is so cool."

"Isn't it?" Itachi asked, right behind her.

A shriek exited Naruto's mouth as she jumped violently, flailing around.

Itachi de-cloaked and chuckled as she finally tripped over the table and fell on the ground.

"Don't - do that!" Naruto told him breathlessly.

Itachi shook his head. "Your reaction was priceless."

"Yeah, whatever," Naruto huffed, getting up.

"Itachi, I am afraid Naruto is getting a call from the Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi." K-45's voice sounded over the intercom. "And you are getting a call from Xizor."

"You work for him, still?" Naruto's adrenaline left her at that name.

"You have no idea how much I hate it," Itachi told her, grimacing. "I was blackmailed into doing it."

"What?" Naruto was outraged. "What did he blackmail you with?"

Itachi looked away. "It does not matter. I am working my way up through the Black Sun, and if Xizor thinks I am being loyal, I can dismantle it from the inside. Eventually. But seeing as I was sort of caught doing what you asked, I know it set my progress back. A lot."

Naruto winced. "I'm sorry." She scratched the back of her head. "I guess I should take Obi-Wan's call."

"And me Xizor's," Itachi nodded.

For a moment, there was nothing but awkward silence; then they hurried off, Naruto to Spark and Itachi to K-45.